Five Money Scams to Watch Out for on Craigslist New Haven
Residents in New Haven use the local Craigslist online classifieds to post items that they want to sell. You can find homes for rent or for sale, used cars and trucks, RVs, motorcycles, furniture, electronics and much more. It’s a site that has served many sellers and buyers well for decades, but recently there has been an increase in the number of scams that have been showing up on the site. Con artists make many of their ads look authentic and they are becoming more sophisticated in figuring out ways to rip people off. Both buyers and sellers have been affected by these criminals. Here are five money scams that you need to watch out for on Craigslist New Haven.
1. Foreclosure rental scam
A scammer was preying upon people who were nearing foreclosure in a sophisticated operation that went on for nine years before he was caught and prosecuted. He posed as an agent for a company that offered to buy homes that were in foreclosure from the owners. What they were really doing was buying enough time to gain access to the vacant properties and instead of buying them, they rented the out to yet more innocent victims who would pay their rent and then be forced to move out when the true owners of the home discovered that they were there.
2. Connecticut man arrested in Craigslist appliance sale scam
A 28 year old man was taken into custody after he fraudulently accepted money from his victims after advertising appliances for sale on Craigslist. He advertised a refrigerator that was the property of a home he was renting. He took the money from the buyers who responded to him on Craigslist. He told them that he would have the appliance delivered to their home. When the appliance never came, the victims went to law enforcement over the deal. They learned that the seller was evicted from the home just prior to selling the appliance.
3. Car purchase scam on Craigslist New Haven
A 19 year old woman became the victim of a car selling scam and it cost her $2,600. Fox 2 News reported on the incident. After the woman purchased the vehicle, she went down to the licensing department and attempted to have it registered in her name. It was then that she discovered that the car had been stolen and that the scammers had taken her money and were long gone. It was further discovered that this incident was only a part of a larger stolen car operation that was based out of Detroit, Michigan.
4. House rental scam on Craigslist New Haven
A home was advertised for rent on the local Craigslist sit. The con artist posing as the owner said that he lived out of state and offered to send interested parties the keys via FedEx after they send the money for the deposit and the rent via wire transfer. After making the payment, the keys never arrive. When the renters show up at the property and contact the owners of the home they discover that the home was never for rent. The scammers had hijacked the ad information about the house from another site and used it to advertise it as a rental giving a fake email address and name. When the renters learn these facts, the scammers are long gone with the money.
5. Multiple money scams going around on Craigslist New Haven
Law enforcement is warning the residents of Hartford and surrounding areas including New Haven to beware of a rash of scams that have recently been posted on Craigslist throughout the State of Connecticut. They range from people advertising kittens and puppies for sale to concert tickets and homes for rent. When the victims show up and make the payment, the scammers literally take the money and run. This is becoming more common and it’s important for buyers to beware of strangers when attempting to purchase anything from Craigslist.
